Taphephobia or Taphophobia | Fear of Being Buried Alive

What is Taphephobia?

Taphephobia, also spelled “taphiphobia” and “taphophobia”, is the intense and irrational fear of being buried alive. A specific phobia, it is related to coimetrophobianecrophobia (fear of death or of dead things), and placophobia (fear of tombstones). Today this persists as a fear of being incorrectly pronounced dead.
Before the advent of modern medicine, particularly before the development of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in the 18th century, this was not an entirely irrational concern. There are many old stories and records of premature burial, both real and in folklore.

This is a specific phobia. The name comes from the Greek word “taphos” meaning “grave” or “tomb”.

Taphephobia is a specific (or “isolated”) phobia, centered on non-social key factors. Isolated phobias tend to have some previous trauma (often in childhood and often physically injurious) as a root cause; a fear of bees may stem from an injury in childhood, for instance.

Upbringing can also play a role, such as parental warnings about a direct threat (such as “snakes can bite and kill you”) which is especially notable in cases where a threat is more imminent. (An allergy to bees or peanut butter, for instance, would naturally reinforce a real medical concern.)

It is thought that genetics and hereditary factors may play a role in specific phobias, especially those related to a danger of injury. (A primal “fight or flight” reflex may be more easily triggered in those with a genetic predisposition, for instance.)

By contrast, social phobias (like a fear of body odor or touch) are less well understood, are driven by social anxiety and are broadly labeled as “social anxiety disorder”.

In all kinds of phobias, external experiences and / or reports can further reinforce or develop the fear, such as seeing a family member or friend who is affected. In extreme cases, indirect exposures can be as remote as overhearing a reference in conversation or seeing something on the news or on TV and movies.

Taphephobia, like most phobias, stems from a subconscious overprotection mechanism, and as with many phobias can also be rooted in an unresolved emotional conflict.

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